


Breathing 2

by demonshide7



Series: No. X - Titles [8]
Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ, JYJ (Band), yunjae - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Male to Male relationship, YunJae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2016-12-27
Packaged: 2018-09-12 12:14:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9071140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonshide7/pseuds/demonshide7
Summary: A plane crash and someone may die... What will they do now?!?!





	

 

 

 

 

“… plane crash… among the names on the roster of passengers is Kim Jaejoong, noted hallyu star and South Korean actor.  He was coming in from France just days after shooting a magazine spread in Paris….”

Changmin’s mug crashed to the floor.  A loud whooshing seemed to come from somewhere.  There was nothing to hold on to and his legs felt like jelly.  He dove for his personal phone and dialed a number. 

“Dammit!  Today of all days he had to have it off!”   He frantically dialed another number just as a series of knocks sounded on his door.  He rushed to open it as the person on the line answered. 

Standing at the door way was a pale faced Yuchun.  This man he hasn’t seen in years was at his doorstep. 

“In case you wanted to go,” Yoochun said.  “He’s at the SKY hospital.”

The man had obviously been crying, Changmin noted as Yoochun turned away and walked down the hallway towards the stairs.  They were all over 35, Jaejoong and Yunho being about 37 years of age already. 

“Hyung,” Changmin called.  “Wait for me.  If you’re going.  I’ll go with you.”

Yuchun nodded without turning around.  He waited in the corridor while Changmin went to grab his keys and wallet and shoes.

They arrived at the hospital to a quiet Junsu and Heechul sitting in the hallway.  They saw Yunho sitting next to the unconscious Jaejoong whose head and body was wrapped in bandages.  Yunho’s parents were there as well which was strange for Changmin.  They haven’t talked in decades.  Yuchun at his doorstep was already such a surprise.  What was Yunho doing here already?  Yunho had Jaejoong’s hand clasped in his and he had brought it up to his face his tears soaking into the bandages. 

Changmin looked at Yunho’s parents.  They noted him in the doorway and came out. 

“We had to drive him here,” Yunho’s father said quietly. 

“You know about how they were before?” Changmin asked.

Yunho’s father nodded.  His mother cried silent tears.  “It hardly matters now when it’s like this, does it?” Yunho’s father asked.  “Sometimes, we’re so focused on what is supposed to be and when something happens like this, nothing matters, I think except that they be together.  Before it was too late.  Before it is….”

“…too late…” Heechul finished.  Yunho’s mother started to sob. 

Jaejoong’s mother and father arrived with coffee and pressed them into Yunho’s parents’ hands. 

Changmin looked at Jaejoong’s parents in shock.  “But….”

Jaejoong’s father looked at Changmin and said, “No matter what, we still want Jaejoong’s happiness more.  You should go in all of you and talk to your hyung.  It’s been too long, Shim Changmin.”

Changmin nodded at the soft rebuke.  He hoped that it wasn’t too late.  He should have called earlier.  Perhaps when SM had cut Yunho and he out of the picture two years ago, he should have called at least.  There was nothing to stand in their way to communicate with the other three after all.  Not at that point.

He went in and stood on Jaejoong’s other side.  He touched the bandaged hand lightly.  “Hey, hyung,” he called.  Then without his noticing, tears slid down his cheeks silently.  His pretty faced hyung had swollen cheeks where cuts criss-crossed across his face.  So cruel, fate is.  His face was his crowning glory, for heaven’s sake!  Why?!?

“Please, please, please…” he whispered, not knowing exactly what he was asking for.  “I… wake up and allow me to talk to you… just please?  I’ll listen, I swear…”

Yuchun and Junsu took their spot on both sides of Jaejoong’s legs.

“…lacerations all over his body…” the doctor was telling the two sets of parents. 

But for some reason, Changmin heard Yunho whisper singing next to Jaejoong’s ear…

_I'm finding my way back to sanity again_   
_Though I don't really know what I'm going to do when I get there_   
_Take a breath and hold on tight, spin around one more time_   
_And gracefully fall back to the arms of Grace_

The words seemed familiar, but they’re in English.  When has he heard this song?  And why is Yunho singing this now?  The song was soothing, he can admit that much.  But really?  What the hell is Yunho trying to do?  It’s too late, dammit!  Jaejoong is not moving!  He could be… he could… he…

_'Cause I am hanging on every word you say and  
Even if you don't want to speak tonight that's alright, alright with me  
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside Heaven's door  
And listen to you breathing, i_ _t_ _s where I want to be, yeah_  
_Where I want to be_

Changmin was wondering again what the hell Jung Yunho was doing besides Jaejoong’s bed.  Then it hit him, where he has heard this song before.  Jaejoong’s last concert.  One of the SuJu members took this clip and uploaded it into his SNS.  Breathing it was called, by some band called Lifehouse.  It spoke of a love, Henry had translated, that asked nothing more than to be beside the other.  It asked for nothing more than to see the other, listen to the other, even if it was only the other breathing.  Changmin’s heart hurt. 

He looked at Jung Yunho coldly. 

“What will you do if you have to say goodbye to him soon, hyung?” Changmin asked.

_I'm looking past the shadows in my mind into the truth and I'm_  
_Trying to identify the voices in my head, God which one's you?_  
 _Let me feel one more time what it feels like to feel alive_  
 _And break these calluses off of me, one more time_

Yunho looked at him with frightened eyes, tears forming and running down his cheeks.  Yunho never did look pretty like Jaejoong did when he cried. 

Junsu hit Changmin upside his head. 

“Don’t agitate him more than this, dongsaeng,” Junsu said.  “It took a lot to be able to calm him.” 

Heechul frowned at Changmin. 

“Yah, Shim Changmin!  Don’t let your guilt eat at you, huh?  It ain’t pretty you getting mad at Yunho for your own sense of guilt,” Heechul said glaring at the hapless man.

Changmin glared right back at Heechul.

A groan from the bed made Heechul screech and the wince was evident on the fluttering eyes of the bandaged head. 

“Doctor!  He moved, he said something!” Heechul was screeching as he practically dove for the door.

Changmin clasped Jaejoong’s hand in his, lightly, not wanting to hurt his soul fighter more. 

“Wet,” Jaejoong said.  Lifting the hand that was held in Yunho’s hand.

“We’ll change it Jaejoongie.  Just stay with us, okay?” Yunho said.

“Smell Changmin,” the man muttered through chapped lips and dry mouth. 

“Does he stink?” Junsu asked.

“Why… here?” Jaejoong asked.  “Who… dead?  Ah!!!  Appuen!”

“What hurts?” Yunho asked.

“Breath… ing.”

_'Cause I am hanging on every word you say and  
Even if you don't want to speak tonight that's alright, alright with me  
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside your door  
And listen to you breathing, i_ _t_ _s where I want to be, yeah_

“Jaejoong-ssi, please open your eyes,” the doctor said. 

Jaejoong frowned. 

“Hyung, open your eyes!” Yuchun commanded. 

“Hyung, come on, don’t you want to see us?” Junsu begged.

“Don’t wanna,” muttered Jaejoong.

“Why not?” Heechul huffed.

“Good dream.  Changmin… Yunho… here… don’t want… to… let… go,” Jaejoong said sighing.

His hand in Yunho’s grasp went slack.  The doctor immediately looked at the monitor to make sure it was still beeping.  Yunho bit back a cry.  Changmin gasped, patting the hand he held gently.

_I don't want a thing from you_  
_Bet you're tired of me waiting for the scraps_  
 _To fall off your table to the ground_  
 _'Cause I just want to be here now_

“I can’t stand this!” Heechul muttered.  “What happened?  Is he dead?”

Yuchun tapped him lightly on the shoulder to get his attention even as he held onto Junsu’s trembling hand. 

“No, no, the machine scheduled a medicine drip.  That’s what’s making him sleep.  So, I’ll lessen that so that he’ll be lucid again in a couple of hours.   Hopefully, not in so much pain.  Internally, he seems okay.  So, I’m hoping there are no internal bleeding we have not seen,” the doctor explained.

Changmin let out a squeaky wail.  He had held his breath for so long, he wondered why he didn’t turn blue.  Yunho, he saw, placed his head on the bed next to Jaejoong’s hand.  His shoulders shook. 

Changmin whispered the rest of the song.

_'Cause I am hanging on every word you say and  
Even if you don't want to speak tonight that's alright, alright with me  
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside Heaven's door  
And listen to you breathing, i_ _t_ _s where I want to be, yeah_

“Please, just… be okay.  I want… I need…” he sobbed.  “With me, here.  You to be there.  Just please.”

He felt the hand he held squeeze his lightly.  He took a sobering breath. 

“Why did I take so long?” he asked no one in particular.

“Because you were busy living your life,” Yuchun said.  “He never held it against you, Changmin.  He just always hoped that you’d find your way to seeing him again.  Although, Yunho hyung… that’s a different matter.  He doesn’t really hold it against you, hyung.  It’s just…. It hurt that he couldn’t be the one by your side.”

Changmin saw Junsu squeeze Yuchun’s leg.

Yunho started to cry some more.  He looked at his parents, at his father most specifically.

“Can’t I, Dad?  Please?” Yunho begged.  “I’ve denied myself and him for so long…  I’m not even sure…  Please?”

Changmin looked at Mr. Jung.  He saw Mrs. Jung put her hand on Mr. Jung’s arm.  Mr. Jung bit his lip.  He looked at Jaejoong and then at Yunho’s crying face and sighed.

“This isn’t just a phase, yeobo,” Mrs. Jung gently chided. 

Mr. Jung looked at Yunho and said, “Jihye…”

“No!” Yunho said, vehemently.  “Don’t even ask that of Jihye, Jaejoong or me.”

The hand Changmin held in his hand tightened a bit.  Changmin looked down at the sleeping man and saw a frown crease his brow. 

Mr. Jung noted that the heartbeat rate on the monitor started to pick up.  The nurse was suddenly in the room. 

“I’m sorry, you’ll have to leave,” the male nurse said.  “Mr. Kim is not stable.  If this keeps up, he can either flatline or go into a heart attack.  He can hear everything you say, after all!  He’s just sleeping!”

Mr. Jung grew alarmed as Yunho became agitated. 

“No, no, allow my son to stay.  Jaejoongie, it’s fine, child.  I will allow Yunho to stay with you...er… be with you…” Mr. Jung said looking back towards Jaejoong’s father.  “That was already decided before now… when you… no… It’s fine.  Don’t worry.  Get better.”

Mr. Kim nodded solemnly. 

Jaejoong’s heart became slower in beat, but was still erratic.  The nurse was clucking.  Changmin saw the agitation and the frown on Jaejoong’s face.  He didn’t know what to do.  He looked towards Yunho.

Yunho looked at Jaejoong and whispered, “Jae, it’s okay.  I promise you can tell dad whatever you want after.  He’ll be here.  I’ll be here.  Just rest for a little while longer.  I promise you’ll be okay.  I won’t leave you.  I promise.  Just rest.”

Then Yunho sang another line of the song clearly.

_'Cause I am hanging on every word you say and_  
_Even if you don't want to speak tonight that's alright, alright with me_  
 _'Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside Heaven's door_  
 _And listen to you breathing, is where I want to be, yeah_

Changmin watched Jaejoong’s face clear up.  And he breathed a sigh of relief. 

He fell asleep with Jaejoong’s hand in his lap, his head on the bed near Jaejoong’s stomach. 

He felt a trembling hand caress his cheek and hair.  He woke to a crying Jaejoong whose eyes were bloodshot.  It wasn’t a natural color.  Changmin gasped

“His capillaries had burst.  Don’t worry.  It’s not too bad.  They’ve checked it out already.  His vision is good, the blood was from the crash,” Junsu said.  “He is bleeding a little internally.  But it’s not bad either.  They stuck a tube down to his stomach.  His lungs are clear, his pipes are fine.”

Changmin saw that Yunho was still next to Jaejoong. 

“He does have a broken rib which is why it’s difficult for him to really breathe.  And heavy bruising everywhere else,” Yuchun said. 

“And we’re not allowed to give him anything spicy, heavy, or anything like that for a while.  Rice soup with chicken broth, Jello, and fruit like asian pears cut into small pieces and limited water,” Heechul said. 

Jaejoong hasn’t said anything, but Yunho wiped the pretty tears falling. 

“You’re not so pretty anymore, hyung,” Changmin said.  “Heechul is prettier now.”

Jaejoong smiled then frowned.  “I can’t laugh,” he wheezed. 

The nurses came to check on Jaejoong.  They bared his muscled torso from the bandages and Changmin gasped.  There were lacerations all over his body.  There were some deep gashes as well.  They will leave a lot of scars.  And his body was just black and blue all over.

“Oh, hyung, what the hell did you do to yourself?” he cried. 

“Don’t mind… to see… Yunho… and you…” Jaejoong gasped. “Ah… hurts… talk… breath… you talk… I listen.”

Yunho soothed Jaejoong’s head with a cool damp cloth. 

The nurses exposed the legs that Yuchun and Junsu had been patting.  They were padded with bandages, too. 

At Changmin’s gasp, a nurse looked at him coldly.  “Jaejoong-ssi is lucky to just get away with a broken rib and lacerations.  He could be dead.  And thank goodness no other broken bones.”

Jaejoong smiled at the nurse.  He patted her hand and said, “The child…”

“Doing good and well, Jaejoong-ssi.  She’s very lucky.  You took the brunt of the impact on you, which explains your broken rib.  The mother is very grateful,” the nurse said. 

“Sat...her...back...on,” Jaejoong tried to explain.

“Saved her and her mother’s life,” the nurse said. 

“Couldn’t…think...  Only... that,” Jaejoong said.  “But...hurt… looked… sister… mine.”

Jaejoong frowned.  He lifted a hand to hit his head. 

“What’s wrong?” Yunho asked, catching the hand.

“Talk… not… good…Something… stuck…”Jaejoong answered. 

“Ah!” the nurse said.  “It’s okay.  You bumped your head.  They did drain the fluid.  MRI today, okay?”

Jaejoong closed his eyes.  “Talk,” he said patting Changmin’s hand.  “Listen...me...”

Changmin didn’t know what to say.  One deer-like eye opened and a frown was directed at him.  “Wife…kids…boyfriend…family…” Jaejoong whispered.  “Hurt… look…  Eyes… too… sun. Talk…  listen… me...”

Changmin looked at his hyung.  He seemed to want to sleep, his head still bandaged with only his face showing. 

He began to talk about all the things he had done.  Jaejoong nodded and smiled and breathed.  And slowly drifted off to sleep.  The medical team came in again and made sure he was asleep before wheeling him out.

Things were fast from that point on.  Jaejoong was once again wheeled into the OR.  They drained his head of more fluid.  This time, though, the doctors were very optimistic.  Especially with Jaejoong pretty alert within a few hours of surgery.  Even with drugs to lessen the pain.  All of his wounds were also checked and bandaged again. 

“Head better?” Yunho asked.

Jaejoong gave one nod and he held his head.  “Ooooh,” he said, eyes round.  “Whoozy!”

“Still…hurts…to…breath…but…seems… my…head… is…better…” Jaejoong answered.  “Eat…teokbokki?”

“No,” Heechul said with force.  “When you are better, able to sit up, and your head is all clear, okay.  But until the doctor says so, you’re eating bland, bland, bland!  Maybe we’ll cure your tongue of that devil’s taste of too spicy!”

“Seaweed…soup…at… least… please?” Jaejoong begged.  “No more… rice… want…salt…”

“I will talk with the dietician, hyung,” Junsu said. 

“Tell…him… taste!!!” Jaejoong wheezed. 

Junsu gave him thumbs up and headed away.

Changmin was amused to see a disgruntled dietician being badgered by Junsu so she had to come into Jaejoong’s room. 

“Enough, Junsu-ssi!” the dietician said.  “I will explain, I promise!  Jaejoong-ssi.  Your insides are still tender.  We don’t want to tax them too much yet.  Yes, miyuk guk is fine.  No spice though!  Seafood stews also fine, NO spice! Chicken only, boiled, grilled or steamed.  Not fried.  Soft veggies.  Everything soft for now.  You can go back to crunchy ones later.  Slowly introduce food into your body. You’ve only been given soft, so.  You know what, show me what they’re going to feed you.  I’ll approve or not.  No fried chicken, no teokbokki, and NO ramyun!”

“Kimchi jiggae?” Yunho asked.

“NO!” the dietician said.  “No chili, kimchi, or otherwise!  No peppers or anything spicy!  Ah!  No abalone either, unless it’s only the soup and the abalone chopped into tiny pieces.  No tough meat, which is why chicken only!  So, show me first!”

The dietician looked at the now pouting Jaejoong.  “That pout got nothing to do with me, Jaejoong-ssi,” she frowned at him.  “I do not fall for pretty pouts, no matter what!”

She grabbed his chart and wrote something in it.  Then she left. 

Changmin grabbed the chart. 

“Do not feed him unless it’s been approved by me.  Dr. Evelyn Lee.  NOT even if he pouts…” Changmin read.  It was written in bold and red letters.

Heechul chuckled.  “I think she may have heard about us,” he said.  “Sorry, Jaejoongie, we can’t sneak food in for you.  But I promise to feed you whatever you want once the dragon approves it, okay?”

Jaejoong grinned at his friend.  He still can’t shake his head.  He’s full of drugs, so he can’t really feel too much pain.  However, it’s still difficult to breath. 

“Hard… breathing…” he said. 

Changmin frowned at him.  “Er… did you forget that you have bruises all over you and…cuts… have you seen your face?”

“Felt it?” Jaejoong said.  “Puffy.”

“Thug,” Yuchun said.  “Not pretty at all, hyung.”

“He’ll look more manly now,” Heechul cackled. 

“Giving…crown…to… you… now,” Jaejoong said to Heechul.

“Stop talking!” Changmin said.  “Jaejoong hyung keeps answering and he’s wheezing!”

“Good…to be… alive,” Jaejoong grinned, patting Changmin’s hand awkwardly. 

“Just breath, hyung,” Changmin said patting the other’s hand.

Jaejoong smiled at him. 

Changmin watched Jaejoong sleep at night.  Yunho was never far from him.  The man only left Jaejoong’s side to grab something to eat, shower and use the restroom.  Jaejoong hasn’t asked anything worthwhile yet, but Changmin knew it was coming. But for now, this was okay.  This watching Jaejoong breathe.

_'Cause I am hanging on every word you say and_  
_Even if you don't want to speak tonight that's alright, alright with me_  
 _'Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside Heaven's door_  
 _And listen to you breathing, is where I want to be, yeah_

The visitors that started to flood in meant he, Yuchun, Junsu, Heechul and Yunho were often relegated to waiting outside of Jaejoong’s room.  However, Jaejoong always seem to protest Yunho leaving.  Unless he’s reassured that Yunho and Changmin will be outside his door, Jaejoong always seem agitated.  It goes on for a while.  All of their parents came to see them. Changmin was belligerent in the face of his father’s disapproval. 

“Aboji, what would it take?  His death?” Changmin asked.  “It would be too late then.  Allow us this second chance.  Let us be together.”

Changmin’s mother placed her hands on her hip and glowered at her husband.  Changmin’s father relented.  He faced Jaejoong with ease.  Jaejoong was nice.  He asked no questions and put all of their parents at ease. 

It was the members of SuJu that had Heechul up in arms.  A few had disagreed over the lawsuit and transferred that into the relationships they had forged with DBSK as a whole.  And when it came down to it, they took sides.  So when Leeteuk, Kangin and Sungmin decided to visit, Heechul wanted to send them away.

“It’s…okay, hyung,” Jaejoong said.  “I can… it’s… fine… now.  Good…to…see…you.”

The three were a little embarrassed over what they had felt back in the day.

Jaejoong smiled.  “I understand…what… happened,” he wheezed.  “Ah… good… to…see…friends…of…”

Yunho wiped him down with a cool cloth. 

Changmin glared at Leeteuk.  “Should you really be here, hyung?  You were the worst when it came to not wanting Yunho hyung and I to talk to them.”

Leeteuk blushed.  It was true, but when something like this happens.

A bandaged hand wrapped itself around Changmin’s arm, making the younger man face the eyes of one bandaged up Kim Jaejoong. 

Changmin watched him take breath after breath to catch it.

“It’s…okay…Changmin…all… in the…past…” Jaejoong wheezed.  “Ah… appeun.”

Yunho grew alarmed as Jaejoong coughed and grabbed the towel in his hand.  He coughed up blood into the towel.  Yuchun hit the red alarm button.  Junsu started yelling for the nurse.

Everyone cleared out.  Jaejoong was suddenly wheeled out of the room and back into the OR.  He was bleeding internally. 

Changmin started to cry.

_'Cause I am hanging on every word you say and_  
_Even if you don't want to speak tonight that's alright, alright with me_  
 _'Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside Heaven's door_  
 _And listen to you breathing, is where I want to be, yeah_

_Where I want to be_   
_Where I want to be_

Yunho soothed Changmin by singing the now familiar song. 

Yuchun joined in and so did Junsu.

 

“He loves you,” Yunho said.  “Don’t ever think that he doesn’t.”

“Not as much as he loves you,” Changmin said, wiping his tears on Yunho’s shirt.

“Ewwww,” Junsu sighed, handing Yunho and Changmin tissues. 

“Well, that’s a given, dongsaeng,” Yuchun smirked.  “Jae hyung loves Yunho differently.”

“I wanted him to see me the same way,” Changmin sighed.  “He just… was oblivious.”

Yunho rubbed the other’s back.

“Will you give him to me?” Changmin asked quietly.

Yunho chuckled.  “Not on your life.  I finally have him back with our parents’ blessings and you want me to give him to you.  Not gonna happen.”

“I’d fight for him,” Changmin said.

Yuchun put a heavy hand on Changmin’s shoulder.

“Stop, dongsaeng.  Let’s not go there.  You actually didn’t fight for him.  And he still loves you anyway,” Yuchun said.  “You left him alone all these years because you figured that’s a good punishment for your soul fighter.”

“He understood,” Junsu said.  “He wanted you to feel as comfortable as possible in whatever decision you made.  He’s just glad to see you now.”

“He won’t be singing in a long while,” Changmin pouted.

“No, not in a long while,” Yunho said solemnly.

 

The three SuJu members were stunned as they watched the orderlies clean up the blood that Jaejoong had vomited.  Heechul hit Kangin upside his head. 

Hangeng came into the hospital just then and Heechul watched the other three stiffen.

Hangeng stopped and was about to walk out.

 

“Don’t you dare!” Heechul almost screeched.  “Jaejoongie had been waiting for you.”

“Where is he?” Geng asked.  “I promised I’d be here today.  The flight was delayed.”

“He’s in the OR, hyung,” Junsu informed the other.  “He’ll be out soon, I hope.”

Geng approached the Dong Bang Shin Ki team.  He bowed with respect towards the three SuJu members who were stiff and forbidding.  He bowed and hugged the distraught parents of Dong Bang Shin Ki.  He presented the family members with boxes of food and fruit baskets.  As well as Chinese medicines and tea.

“What happened to my friend?” Geng asked Yunho.

“He was apparently bleeding internally.  From what the doctors told his parents and mine, the cut was small so they didn’t see it.  It has been steadily growing,” Yunho said.  “Probably from all his talking.”

Changmin looked at Yunho and said, “I just want to hear him breathe.  He doesn’t even have to talk!  Just until he’s better!”

Geng patted the tall man on his back.

“It’s okay, kid.  We all want that, I think,” Geng said.  He looked at Heechul who was clinging to his arm. 

“How have you been, friend?” he asked the shorter man, smiling down at him. 

“Lonely,” Heechul answered. 

“You can always come and visit me, live there even,” Geng offered.

Heechul looked up at the smiling man and asked, “Are you going to take care of me?”

Geng smiled wider and said, “Of course!  That’s always been a given!”

Heechul sighed and smiled.  “I may take you up on that offer.”

“It is, as I am, always open for you,” Geng assured him.

Yuchun laughed.  “Huh!” he exclaimed. 

 

Jaejoong was wheeled into the new private room in the wee hours of the morning.  The family decided to all pitch in and get a bigger suite so everyone that wanted to stay could. 

 

“He’s asleep,” the nurse cautioned.  “He shouldn’t talk for the next week or so.”

“Phone,” Yunho croaked through the tears.  “Give him his phone so he can text us all whatever he wants to say.”

“Good idea,” Changmin said.  “He’s fast on those things.”

“He’s also back to pap juk for the next three weeks.  It will be fortified with seaweed, but nothing else,” the nurse said.  “It was his stomach.  A thin metal wire had somehow made it through his body and punctured his stomach walls.  So, until that heals completely, we cannot have him eating anything except gruel.”

“They took it out?” Changmin asked. 

“Yes, it took a while using a magnet. Unfortunately, we had to cut through his stomach to get to the metal wire.  The cuts are small.  And they used a laser to seal the cuts, even the one caused by the wire.  Just to make sure, he’s also been back to the MRI and X-Rays to see if any more tiny wires were internally left in his body,” the nurse informed.    “He will, however, he sore.  And he’s throat will also be sore.  And since it still hurts for him to breath and talk, let’s allow him to breath, not talk.”

_'Cause I am hanging on every word you say and_  
_Even if you don't want to speak tonight that's alright, alright with me_  
 _'Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside Heaven's door_  
 _And listen to you breathing, is where I want to be, yeah_

 

Jaejoong was not happy with the state of events. 

 

Their phones were bombarded by questions.  Even the dietician grew exasperated. 

 

Yunho covered Jaejoong’s furious texting hands with his and said, “Jae.  I would rather listen to you breath, be assured that you’re alive than hear you talk.  I would rather you eat pap juk than anything else so you do live.  I promise I will take you wherever you want to eat once it’s okay, but please, bear with it for now.  I want to see you live.  Don’t waste this.  I know Changmin and I wasted too many years.  But we’re here now.  So, breathe.”

 

Jaejoong grinned.  He texted something to Yunho’s phone.

Yunho looked at it and chuckled.  “Yes, even if you want to go to England just to eat… what is that?  Haggis?  Like soondae?  Yes, even then.  So hurry up and get well!”

“I’m coming, too,” Changmin yelled. 

Jaejoong frowned at him.

“So I can hear you breathe!” Changmin said.  “I feel uneasy now when you’re not around.”

Yunho laughed at what Jaejoong texted him.

“What did he say?” Changmin said.

“Nothing!  It’s not for you to know!” Yunho said chuckling.  “Just listen to him breathe!”

_'Cause I am hanging on every word you say and  
Even if you don't want to speak tonight that's alright, alright with me  
'Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside Heaven's door  
And listen to you breathing, is where I want to be, yeah_

 

It took three years before Jaejoong could fully use his vocal chords to what it was before.  It never became as clear as it used to be. Yunho hated the new voice unless it was used on him directly.  Changmin laughed because everyone else liked it.

Jaejoong could no longer get it back, that old clear voice he had in his teens and into his early 30s.

He now spoke with a slight huskiness.  And when he sang, it was almost as if he was whispering sweet nothings into every woman’s ear or man’s.  Which was why Yunho didn’t like it.  The voice seduced… too much!

Yuchun laughed when Yunho explained. 

“Think about it, hyung, are you not happy?” Junsu asked.  “You get to hear him breathing each and every night and every morning when you wake.  Although, Changmin is always with you.”

“I can’t allow anything to happen to Jaejoongie hyung,” Changmin said. 

“Not when he’s one of your best sellers now,” Yuchun said.  “Even you can’t top his sales record.”

Dong Bang Shin Ki had formed their own media company.  Yuchun, Yoohwan and Junho scouted talented actors, Junsu, Jaejoong, and Heechul scouted fashion models, Yunho, Changmin, Eunhyuk scouted idols.  They only gave them a 7 year contract.  And following their other business model, they only recruited talented people.  They didn’t like starting from scratch.  They also formed teams with Kyuhyun, Siwon and Geng for their overseas talent pool.  But the company CEOs were the five DB5K men.  Jaejoong had wanted to retire and he was going to.  Yunho didn’t really want him in the spotlight anymore.  But the scars on his face cleared up.  And the tiny lines that were left from all the lacerations did not detract from the prettiness of the man.  He became an actor first. 

It was Changmin who convinced Jaejoong to try and sing again. 

“He sings like he’s breathing,” Changmin said. 

“That’s why I don’t want him to sing!” Yunho said.  “Everyone will hear that and that’s his…  anyway… no.”

In the end, Yunho gave in.  And with his new husky voice, Jaejoong was topping charts even better than all of Dong Bang Shin Ki individually.  Not even the new idols can compare to Jaejoong’s new voice.  And the other entertainment moguls were out scouting people to try and get people that can compare to Jaejoong’s husky voice. 

Changmin laughed at that and said, “There’s only one Kim Jaejoong.”

Changmin became Jae’s defacto manager when he wasn’t doing any CEO stuff. 

Yunho was also astounded that magazines wanted Jaejoong to still model their clothing or jeans and most of the time, they want to picture him with his shirt open, half gone, dangling on his fingers, etc.  They were really not young anymore, but Jae kept his body fit.  Even scarred as he was, the muscles were defined very well.  It made him manlier.  With Geng’s influence, even Chinese magazines wanted to showcase a battle scarred Jaejoong for their pieces.  Sometimes, even film and drama directors wanted Jae because of those particular scars and tattoos!  He fit their need for battle scarred pretty men, Yunho guessed.  Jae just laughed at all the fame he was getting.

“My real happiness is hearing all of Dong Bang Shin Ki together.  I like listening to them breathe in the still of the night when they’re all exhausted and they crash into the suite tired, but happy,” he told an interviewer.  “This is enough for me.  Fame, fortune, wealth… they mean nothing compared to that one thing.”

_'Cause I want nothing more than to sit outside Heaven's door  
And listen to you breathing, its where I want to be, yeah_

_Where I want to be_   
_Where I want to be_

 ~*~

FINI


End file.
